CIA At A Glance

History of the CIA

The United States has carried out intelligence activities since the
days of George Washington, but only since World War II have they been
coordinated on a government wide basis. President Franklin D. Roosevelt
appointed New York lawyer and war hero, William J. Donovan, to become
first the Coordinator of information, then, after the US entered World
War II, to become head of the Office forerunner to the CIA—had a
mandate to collect and analyze strategic information. After World War
II, however, the OSS was abolished along with many other war agencies
and its functions were transferred to the State and War Departments.

It did not take long before President Truman recognized the need
for a postwar, centralized intelligence organization. To make a fully
functional intelligence office, Truman signed the National Security Act
of 1947 establishing the CIA. The National Security Act charged the CIA
with coordinating the nation’s intelligence activities and correlating,
evaluating and disseminating intelligence affecting national security.

On December 17, 2004, President George W. Bush signed the
Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act which restructured the
Intelligence Community by abolishing the position of Director of
Central Intelligence (DCI) and Deputy Director of Central Intelligence
(DDCI) and creating the position of Director of the Central
Intelligence Agency (D/CIA). The Act also created the position of
Director of National Intelligence (DNI), which oversees the
Intelligence Community and the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC).